Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan is published by William Morrow. It tells the story of my adventures with Atticus M. Finch, a little dog of some distinction. You can also find our column in the NorthCountry News.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

The Kinsmans Slide Show Is Up; Wait 'Til You See These Wonderfully Monstrous Trees

What a neat hike. All the snow and ice of the last few days gave us great views, not of other mountains, for the clouds took them all away, but of the incredibly twisted, sorrowful and then threatening looking iced trees, frozen and horrid looking at times.

The hike started out just fine and the sun even made an appearance but soon disappeared as we made Lonesome Lake and walked across it. As we climbed the Fishing Jimmy Trail the mood of the hike seemed to change bit by bit as did the trees.

This was a particularly popular hike with lots of people out but soon after leaving the summit of North Kinsman we ran into the last people we would see all day on our way to South Kinsman. There the clouds sank down upon us and the trees seemed to come to life. On the summit of South Kinsman it was as desolate as you can imagine, as if it were a scene from some horror movie, an icy wasteland, if not for the trees, those fantastically threatening trees.

When we sank back into the trees they seemed to have changed and I think you will be able to see it by the photos. I swear, at times like this, if I were truly alone up there I might get scared but with Atticus along…well, he gives me wonderful courage in case I need it.

This is slide show is long overdue for those of you who have contributed or pledged. Remember, there is a contest going on. And since the first five songs of this current contest were so easy I needed to put something in that not only fit the mood of the hike and the main characters (after Atticus)…the trees, but also something that would make this round a wee bit more difficult. Enjoy the slide show by clicking here.